Ubuntu 18.04 is the new extended support version of the distribution that has arrived this week, and how we have in our analysis , it is perhaps one of the most exciting Ubuntu in many years , which makes it an excellent option to install in your computer

Whether you have already upgraded your system to Bionic Beaver or have encouraged to install the distro for the first time, we have some recommendations to offer you things that you can do right after installing Ubuntu 18.04 to make the most of its benefits.

Install the community theme

It was assumed that Ubuntu 18.04 was going to have a new theme, a more beautiful and modern one that would free us from the eternal yoke of Ambiance, however, it was not like that. The good news is that the theme of the community ( Communitheme ) is quite advanced and looks sensational.

Installing it is extremely easy at the moment because it is available as a snap package in the Ubuntu Software Center . Just click on the software icon in your dock and in the app store window type “communitheme”.

Install the package in one click and then restart or log out . To apply the theme you must start the new session that has been added to your list. In the login screen, click on the icon in the form of a nut and there you will see the options.

Select ” Ubuntu with communitheme snap ” or “Ubuntu with communitheme snap in Wayland”, otherwise you will start using the Xorg graphical server.

Install Gnome Tweak Tool

This is a very useful and practically essential tool for those who use a GNOME system as a desktop environment. You can find it as ” GNOME Retouching ” in the Ubuntu software center.

With this tool of retouching you can do things like change the subject , extremely useful if it happens that the Communitheme was not applied completely. You can also adjust the wallpaper in addition to changing it, something that does not let you do Ubuntu.

You can control the applications at the start, you can customize the top bar, you can control the icons that show on the desktop, you can manage extensions for GNOME Shell, change the fonts of the system, and more.

Activate the “Nightlight”

This is one of my favorite features of the new Ubuntu, no longer have to install third-party tools to control a bit the color temperature of the screen and relieve a little of the view when using the computer in low light.

Default mode night light is off. To change this you must open the Settings (you can press the apps button and type “Settings”, or press the nut icon that appears when you click on the right of the top panel where the indicators are).

Once in the Configuration window, click on Devices and then Monitors . There you will see at the end of the option Nightlight . Click on it and change the status to On .

You can also configure if you want to activate automatically depending on the sunrise and sunset, or you can schedule the hours yourself.

Connect your online account

Ubuntu allows you to connect multiple accounts and services from the configuration panel. From there you can configure, for example, your Google account and it will automatically synchronize your Google Calendar with the Ubuntu Calendar .

Check your privacy settings

When installing Ubuntu 18.04 you should be asked if you wanted to share or not anonymous data about your computer to help improve the system. However, in the Settings panel in the Privacy section, you can change several additional aspects individually.

You can activate or deactivate the localization services, you can activate or deactivate that Ubuntu stores a history of your searches, you can configure the equipment to empty the trash and the temporary files automatically, you can decide if the error reports are sent automatically or not , and you can turn off connectivity verification. That last option is the one that can be used to gather technical information about your equipment.

Install Chrome on Ubuntu

Ubuntu already includes Firefox Quantum in its latest version and is a more than efficient browser. But, we know that more than one is used to using Chrome and does not leave it for anything in the world. Unlike the experience that some have had in the past, installing Chrome in Ubuntu is extremely simple nowadays .

You just have to download the DEB package from the official Chrome website and once this is done, you open it with the default application and you can install Chrome in one click. Then you just have to look for it in your list of applications.

You also have the option to install Chromium, the free project on which Chrome is based. It is in the software center a click away.

Install Spotify

It is the favorite music streaming service of many and that you can also use with or without a paid account to listen to your favorite artists. Spotify integrates perfectly with Ubuntu and installing it now is extremely easy.

You just have to open the software center and write “Spotify” to install the application in one click. This miracle is possible only a few months ago, and whoever has been using Ubuntu and Spotify together for years knows that it was not as simple before.

Spotify integrates seamlessly with the Ubuntu notification panel and you can even control music playback from there. And, with the theme of the community, it looks much better than ever.

Install a good mail client

If you prefer to use a native email client to one on the web, my personal recommendation is that you use Mailspring , it is an open source fork of the well-known Nylas Mail, and it is one of the best email clients available on Linux .

Best of all, it is available as a snap package, so its installation is also just a click away. It integrates perfectly with Ubuntu notifications and supports multiple email accounts of various services.

Bonus

That is just a guide to initial tips that you can take into account, especially if you are new to Ubuntu or Linux in general. Other recommendations are mainly about good apps that might interest you, for example, Telegram is also as a snap package in the software center , as well as Slack, Steam, VLC or Skype, if you use any.

If you are looking for some additional customization, you can try Splashy an app that automatically changes the wallpaper every day. Unlike other apps that we recommend this comes in a ZIP and you must extract the folder and then double click on the executable to start it.